They moved like well-trained soldiers, forming a ring that surrounded the players.
"Holy shit, these beasts have gotten smart! They're actually fighting as a team!"
"Wolves are pack animals. Of course they fight as a team!"
"This is amazing! Absolutely amazing! They made the game environments so realistic. It feels completely real, nothing like a virtual scene!"
As the wolves drew closer, the players felt no fear. Instead, they grew even more excited.
Emperor of Sinking, who stood at the front, was beside himself with excitement. He figured it was time to show what he could really do.
He clenched his left fist and silently circulated the Chakra Energy he had just learned to use, ready to show his prowess and claim the first kill in one fell swoop.
"Charge with me, guys! We'll take out the wolves on the edge first. Whatever you do, don't let them surround us, or we're done for!"
"Awoooo!"
The wolves seemed to understand Emperor of Sinking's words and threw back their heads with a deafening howl.
At the signal, the rest of the pack opened their bloody maws, baring sharp teeth as they charged at the players with low growls.
"Charge, guys! Kill it!"
Emperor of Sinking raised his fist and rushed straight at a towering wolf without a trace of fear.
"Charge!"
Seeing this, the other players picked up branches from the ground and charged forward, their blood pumping.
Dai Xiaomei picked up a stick as well and followed them, shouting at the top of her lungs.
Only One Sword Opens Heaven stayed back. Using his character's agility, he leaped onto a towering tree and carefully observed the wolves' movements.
The wolves seemed to have seen through the players' tactics. Their massive bodies remained utterly still, and their proud faces even showed a hint of disdain.
Emperor of Sinking led the charge. Just as he drew close to the wolf's belly, he hurriedly concentrated all the chakra in his body into his left hand, preparing to deliver a fatal blow.
At that moment, he felt as though victory was already in sight!
"Die!"
As his thunderous roar rang out, the wolf simply raised a forepaw and gave a light swipe.
A fierce wind instantly howled through the forest, shaking the entire mountainside.
Emperor of Sinking's figure turned into a streak of light and vanished in midair.
"What the hell?"
"Where's our pro? Where did he go?"
Before anyone could react, a single swipe from the wolf sent them all back to the respawn point.
Dai Xiaomei stood in the Resurrection Hall with a halo flickering around her, still holding her stick in a fighting stance, her face utterly blank.
"What happened?"
"How did we die?"
"I think that little wolf on the edge slapped us into pulp?"
After three seconds of stunned silence, they gradually recalled the carnage and began sighing in dismay.
Emperor of Sinking was equally frustrated. He simply couldn't understand how he had been sent back to the respawn point without surviving even a single attack.
"It wiped our whole party in one hit!"
"Holy shit, even the mobs in the starter village are this strong? How are we supposed to fight them?"
"Wait, haven't you noticed? We're missing someone!"
Dai Xiaomei cried out, and the others realized it too.
There had been nine of them, and all nine had entered the forest. Now only eight had returned. Where had the last one gone?
"Where's One Sword Opens Heaven?"
"I remember he was behind us the whole time. We all got teleported back, so why hasn't he returned?"
"Did he find a way to beat the mobs?"
"Should we go over and take a look?"
"I think we should. He's a speedrunning legend! If we head over now, we might get lucky and snag something!"
"Come on, let's go to the forest!"
Their excitement flared again, and they swarmed toward the exit, completely forgetting the brutal slaughter they had just suffered.
But just as they reached the doorway, a sound rang out beside them, accompanied by a flash of light.
A figure appeared at the respawn point. It was none other than the legendary game clearer, One Sword Opens Heaven.
"P-Pro?"
"How come you're back too?"
Everyone stared at him in bewilderment, their eyes full of confusion.
Even the pro had died. It looked like they had no hope of clearing the game!
One Sword Opens Heaven stood frozen without answering, deeply frustrated.
He had jumped onto the tree to look for the wolves' weaknesses, but after the players in front were wiped out, the wolves' keen sense of smell had exposed him too.
Before he could react, the biting wind carried by their howls knocked him off balance. He fell straight down and died from the impact.
Of course, he would never reveal that humiliating scene, not even under pain of death.
After a long silence, One Sword Opens Heaven finally changed the subject.
"The wolves are way too strong, and they're as intelligent as adults. Fighting them head-on definitely won't work. We need to outsmart them!"
Everyone agreed with him.
"Right, right. We can't rush in again."
"Sure, the game has respawn points, but dying too many times won't do us any good."
Dai Xiaomei nodded vigorously too. "I think we should learn ninjutsu first and buy some chakra. Fighting monsters should be easier after that!"
"I agree!"
"All right, let's hurry to the shop and buy ninjutsu and chakra to get stronger!"
Emperor of Sinking's proposal received unanimous approval. One Sword Opens Heaven nodded silently too, and everyone began studying ninjutsu in earnest.
Dai Xiaomei studied especially hard. Besides wanting to kill monsters and level up, she had another reason: she wanted to become a top player and use this game to propel herself into the ranks of superstar streamers.
Meanwhile, Ye Chen watched their movements through the Energy Ball.
Seeing everyone working hard to practice ninjutsu and improve their strength filled him with satisfaction.
The sun rose and set, night fell, and the sun rose once more.
A day quickly passed.
The players practiced nonstop for an entire day, greatly improving their ninjutsu. Each now possessed some amount of Chakra Energy within their body.
Dai Xiaomei, the only female player, now felt brimming with stamina too. Running ten laps around the village in one go would be no problem at all.
"So this is the power of chakra?"
"I feel full of energy, and my body's gotten a lot more agile!"
"Same here! Look, I can jump over three meters high!"
Experiencing Chakra Energy for the first time, the players all jumped up and down in excitement.
Of course, Ye Chen was the most excited of all, as system notifications rang out one after another in his mind.
Player Dai Xiaomei has successfully refined chakra. Synced to the host's body. Player One Sword Opens Heaven has successfully refined chakra. Synced to the host's body. Player Emperor of Sinking has successfully refined chakra. Synced to the host's body. ...
In just one day, the amount of chakra within Ye Chen's body had skyrocketed, bringing him to Genin-level strength.
In this world, refining chakra was harder than reaching the heavens for an ordinary person. Some worked their entire lives only to reach Genin, and every subsequent rank was even harder to attain.
Unless your family had an inherited legacy, you possessed exceptional talent, or you met an excellent teacher, reaching Chunin-level strength would be difficult even after a lifetime of grueling training.
Yet Ye Chen had reached Genin-level strength in a single day, growing stronger while lounging at home. If word got out, those veteran ninja who had trained hard their whole lives would be sick with envy.
"Keep training, players! Work hard, and make me a Jonin as soon as possible!"
The village was his, the Chakra Energy the players gained was his, and every treasure they discovered was his. Without lifting a finger, he would have a workforce that was both free and useful.
Could life get any better than winning without lifting a finger?
For a moment, Ye Chen gazed at the players with burning enthusiasm. They were all his wealth!
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